Raschel warp knitting machine



Nov. 13, 1962 K. KOHL 3,063,273

RASCHEL WAR? KNI'ITING MACHINE Filed Ost. 9 1959 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Fl G.1. FIG.2 Fl G.3. FI G.4.

INVENTOR KARL. KOHL AGENT Nov. 13, 1962 K. KOHL 3063,273

RASCl-IEL WAR? KNITTING MACHINE Filed Ost. 9, 1959 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 47. Fl G. 5.

IN VEN TOR KKRL \(o++L.

AGENT United Ssates Patent O 3,063,273 RASCHEL WARP KNITTWG MACHBIE Karl Kohl, Hainstacflt (Main), Germany, assignor to Karl Mayer Erste Hessische Wirkmaschinenfabrik G.m.b.I-I., Obertshansen, near Oflenbach (Main), Germany Filed (kt. 9, 195), Ser. N0. 845,534 Claims priority, applicaticn Germany c. 16, 1958 3 Claims. (C1. 6686) The present invention relates to Raschel type warp knitting machines and more particularly to a novel comtrol mechanism f01' guiding the needle bars of such machines during each knitting cycle.

Heretofore, conventional Raschel macnines have had up to about six yarn gnide bars, chree of them being used for knitting the foundation While the others were used for making desired patterns. Special arrangements of the yarn guides have made it possible to increase the number of bars to as many as nine to twelve. A further increase is not possible in conventional Raschel machines because the yarns running fro-m the outermost yarn guide bars to the latch needles are so strongly inclined and the angle between the yarn and the needle is so large that the yarn which is already positioned on the open latch very often slides down again and thus causes dropped stitches. On the other band, even if such an inclined yarn has not slid 011 the latch, it cannot meve from the root of the latch upwardly along the shank fast enough and lt happens frequently that the latch, which is closed by the previously formed loop, cuts through the yarn.

In my application Serial N0. 10,515, filed February 23, 1960, which is a continuation-in-part cf my abandoned application, Serial N0. 651,700, I have proposed to use needles in a Raschel machine, whose bill is at least three times the Width of the bight and does not exceed the length of the latch. With a special arrangement of the yarn guides and the use of such special Raschel machine needles, it is possible to increase the nurnber of yarn guide bars to about 16 to 18, which, however, still d0es not suflice to meet present-day requirements for different patterns.

It is the primary object of the present invention to provide an otherwise conventional Raschel type warp knitting machine With a greatly increased number cf yarn guide bars, which in turn adapts the machine for knitting considerably more varied patterns.

For this purpose, I use a Raschel machine With a pivotally mounted needle bar preferably actuated by a Garn shaft driving mechanism and provide means for so moving the needle bar during each knitting cycle that each needle is substantially vertical in its uppermost position and obliquely inclined in relation to the trick plate in its lowerrnost position While maintaining the required distance of the needle frorn the trick plate.

In one ernbodiment 01": the invention, this is accomplished by mounting the needle bar 011 a rocking lever having one pivot controlled by the driving mechanism t0 provide the up-and-down movernent of the needle bar and another movable pivot about which the lever rocks and whose movement is controlled to maintain the required distance cf the needles from the trick plate.

In another emb0diment 0f the invention, the needle bar is also mounted on a rocking lever With a pivot cantrolled by the driving mechanism to provide the up-anddown movement of the needle bar but the pivot about which the lever rocks is stationary and, instead, the trick plate is pivoted back and forth to maintain the required distance of the needles from the trick plate.

The above and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will be mute fullyset forth in the following detailed description of preferred embodi- 3,003,273 Paiented Nov. 13., 1962 ments thereof, taken in conjunction With the accompanying drawing wherein FIGS. 1 to 4 diagrammatically illustrate the novel latch needle arrangement in four successive positions of the knitting cycle; and

FIG. 5 is a vertical section through a R aschel type warp knitting machine incorporating the novel latch needle arrangement.

Referring now to FIGS. 1 to 4, there is shown an elongated latch needle 2 mounted an needle bar 3, the needle cornprising hook 5 and latch 6. It Will be understood that the needle 2 is representative of the plurality of needles mounted on a cornmon needle bar as is conventional. Only 0116 needle 2 has been shown. In FIG. 1, the needle is in its uppennost position with its latch 6 down and the ten yarn guid'es 4 in the stitch-forming cycle. As illustrated, the length of the bill of the needle is preferably at least three tirnes the Width of the bight and does not exceed the length of the latch, such a latch needle for Raschel type warp knitting machines being disclosed and claimed in my copending application Serial N0. 651,700, filed April 9, 1957.

In Raschel machines, the latch needles move up and down in the needle bed or trick plate during the knitting cycle and FIG. 2 illustrates the succeeding stage of the cycle, wherein needle 2 has moved downwardly a little in trick plate 1 while the motion of the yarn guides 4 is concluded. In FIG. 3, the needle approaches its lowermost position in the knitting cycle and a noticeably oblique positioning of the needle is already effected at this stage, the needle being even more obliquely inclined in relation to the trick plate 1 in the lowermost position illustrated in FIG. 4, When the stitch is Gast off the needle. As can be seen in FIG. 4, the angle 7 between the yarn 8, which leads to the last pattern knitting bar, and the needle 2 is relatively srnall. The latch needle 6 has been omitted frorn FIGS. 2, 3, and 4 for the sake 0-f clarity.

FIG. 5 illustrates the essential arts of an otherwise conventional Raschel machine provided With the necessary mechanism for guiding the latch needles in the desired manner. The stand er cylinder 11 is shown mounted on machine housing or frame 9 by means of bolts 10. The triangular control lever 12 is pivotally mounted on the stand by means of shaft 13. Push rod 14 is linked to One corner 01 the lever 12 at pivot 15 while the needle bar supporting lever 17 is linked to the third corner cf lever means 12 at pivot 16 intermediate its ends. The end of push rod 14 removed from pivot 15 is coupled to the driving mechanism of the machine, which is mounted' in housing 9 but is not illustrated in all details. One example cf such a driving mechanism including a cam shaft is described and illustrated, for instance, in my copending application Serial N0. 753,978, filed August 8, 1958, now Patent N0. 3008,314, granted November 14, 1961, but the present invention is not cancerned With any specific driving mechanism.

One and o-f rocking lever 17 carries the needle bar support 18 on which the needle bar member 3 is mounted. The other end 0f the rocking lever is linked to pnsh rod 19 by means of pivot 20, push rod 19 being coupled t0 the driving mechanism. The driving mechandism includes a plurality of cam discs 57 mounted 011 a common shaft. The several push rods of the knitting machine are each equipped With a roller 56 which travels over the cam face cf a corresponding disc 57. The rollers 56 are held against the cam faces by respective arms 54 of hell crank levers 55 which are pivoted on a common shaft, and the other arms 58 of which engage another portion of the corresponding cam d'isc by means of a cam follower roller. The thus described mecha- .3 nisrn moves the needlc 2 up and down in trick plate 1 which is mounted on arm 21 carried by cylinder 11.

The cylinder also carries shaft 22 which pivotally monnts the arcuate arm 23 of thc needle guide comb bar 24 with needle guide comb member 25 and comb webs 26. Fixedly attached to the lower end of arm 23 is bar 27 whose free end is linked to push rod 29, the latter again being coupled with the driving mechanism.

The machine frarne 9 also has bolted thereto at 30 another stand 31 which carries at its upper end a push lever 33 pivoted to the stand at 32. Push rod 35 is pivoted t the push lever 33 at 34 at a point remote from pivot 32, push rod 35 again being couplcd With the driving mechanism. The connccting link 36 is linked to one end cf push lever 33. This connecticn is adjustable because the pin 37 connecting lever 33 and link 36 may be moved into any cf a plurality of adjacent bores 38 provided for this purpose at the one end of lever 33. The upper end cf link 36 is linked to lever 40 in a similar manner, i.e. thc connecting pin 39 may be positioned in any of a plurality of bores 41 at one end of lever 40. The other end of lever 40 is pivotally mounted on shaft 42 which is journaled in bearing 43 forming part of the machine frame. Lever 40 carries the downwardly extending support rod 44 which holds tne arcuate support member 45 for the three foundation knitting bars 46 and the pattern knitting bars 47 which carry the yam guides 48 and 49, respcctively.

Rocking lever 17 constitutes the means whereby latch needles 2 are moved up and down in such a manner that they extend vertically in their uppermost position (as shown in FIG. 1) and obliquely in the lower positions (as shown in FIG. 3 and more particularly in FIG. 4). Since the rocking lever 17 is linked to triangular lever 12 intermediate its ends and the triangular lever is suitably moved by push rod 14, the needlcs 2 always keep the required distance from trick plate 1 during their upand-down movement in each knitting cycle. I have obtained the most satisfactory results when the ratio of the vertical stroke 0f needle 2 to the distance of pivot 16 frorn the needle shank (with the needle in the upperrnost position) is larger than 1:4.

While the invention has been described and illustrated' in connection With certain now preferred embodiments, it Will be clearly understood that many modifications and variations may occur to the skilled in the art, particularly after benefiting from the present teaching, without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention as defined in the appended claims.

As shown in FIG. 5, thc lower ends of push rods 14, 29, 35 and 19 are linked to respective arms 54 of twoarmed levcrs 55 by pivot pins 56 each carrying a cam follower engaging a respective one of cams 57 while the other arm 58 of the two-armed levers, which forrns an acute angle with the first-named arm thercof, also engages the cam surface so as to prevcnt discngagement of the push rod ends from the cam surfaces. The twoarrned levers are pivotally int unted 0n shaft 59 which is journaled in housing 9, where the shaft 59 is mounted in wall 60.

Finally the distance between the pivot 16 and the back of the necdle 2 is preferably twice to three times of the needle motion; and the distance between the needleback and the trick platc 1 is the half or the whole width of the needle shaft.

What is claimed is:

1. In a warp knitting machine, in combination, stand means; a trick plate fixedly mounted 011 said stand means; first lever rneans; a pivot mounted on said lever means, said lever means being pivoted to stand rneans for movement about an axis of rotation spacccl -from said pivot; second lever mcans mounted 0n said pivot; an eiongated needle fixedly mounted on said second lever means spaced from said pivot and spacedly adjacent said trick plante; and actuating means for actuating simultaneous rotary reciprocating movement of said first lever means about said axis 0f rotation and of said second lever means on said pivot for reciprocating movement of said needle between a first position in which said needle is elongated in a predetermined direction and a second position in which said needle is displaced from said first position in said direction, and is elongated in a direction angularly displaced from said predeterrnined direction.

2. In a -warp knitting machine as set forth in claim l, said needle rnoving through a plurality of intermediate positions thereof, said needle in each of said intermediate positions being displaced in said predetermined direction from said first and second position thereof, and the direction of elongation of said needle in euch of said intermediate positions being angularly displaced from the direction 0f elongation of said needle in said first and second positions.

3. In a warp knitting machine as set forth in claim 1, a needle bar interposed between said second lever means and said needle.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2604768 Schuster July 29, 1952 2,650486 Hartung Sept. l, 1953 2744,398 Scheibe May 8, 1956 

